The Company You Keep

After years and years of being a pushover, of being accused of loving everybody I meet too much, of needing attention so much that I'll befriend anyone, I am finally learning to be more judicious with those I actually keep in my circle of friends. What I have learned is that there is a certain way that you feel if you've been with a true friend or a real kindred spirit. You don't just feel amused or silly (although that can be a part of it), and you absolutely do not feel empty, bored, or annoyed. If you are hanging out with the people that you should, after both the briefest encounter or a splendidly endless night, you should feel substantiated, full, and loved. In short, you should feel like you did something for yourself by being with these people.